


How Beauty Differs

by violasarecool



Series: What Can 8 Grey Wardens Do? [20]
Category: Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-02
Updated: 2016-06-02
Packaged: 2018-07-11 20:15:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7068415
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/violasarecool/pseuds/violasarecool
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>while both kit and merle lived most of their lives in ferelden before moving to orlais for a time, they find their opinions of both places wildly differ. kit decides to ask the other wardens what they think is the most beautiful place they've seen.</p>
            </blockquote>





	How Beauty Differs

**Author's Note:**

> bit of a character study of my wardens based on [this post](http://violasarecool.tumblr.com/post/145281381578/necessaryocthings-what-is-the-most-beautiful): "what is the most beautiful landscape your oc has ever seen?"
> 
> wardens: kit mahariel (she/they), merle mahariel (they), ketkoni brosca (she/they), dwinna aeducan (she), quentin surana (he), fox tabris (he), talia cousland (she)

"Hey Merle," Kit said one evening as they sat in front of the large fire that blazed in Vigil's keep.

"Hey, Kit."

"What's the most beautiful place you've ever seen?"

"The Brecilian forest," Merle said without hesitation.

"What, really?" Kit wrinkled their nose. "It's just a bunch of trees."

Merle made a face back at them. "How can you say it's just a bunch of trees?"

"Like that," Kit muttered.

"Remember when we used to go out exploring by the old ruins, when the moon came through the trees to make little dots of light across the forest floor? And you'd try and jump on every patch of light you came across," they said, smiling. "And the shadows would make weird shapes on the ruins."

"That one wolf statue always looked like it had a moustache," Kit said, grinning.

"The moonlight turned the stone silver," Merle said. They let out a slow breath, chin propped up on their hand. Then, they glanced at Kit. "What about you then?"

"The most beautiful place?" Kit said, and Merle nodded. "Orlais."

Merle chuckled. "It is pretty fancy."

" _Gorgeous,_ more like. You don't even have to go into the city to see the buildings, those huge arches that make you feel like you're an ant! And flowers _everywhere,_ I've never seen so many flowers! And the markets full of people selling woven carpets and little statues and, and, Creators, the smell of food _everywhere,_ I thought I would _die_ _."_

"Good thing you didn't," Merle said, eyes creased with amusement.

"Hah." Kit crossed then uncrossed their arms, leg twitching. "I still don't understand why you'd pick the forest, though. Like, it's nice _sometimes,_ but..."

Merle shrugged. "I've had time to get used to the _wonders of Orlais_. Besides, there's no accounting for personal preference. Ask someone else, they'd have a different answer."

Kit leaned back to lie on the thin carpet. "Maybe I will." 

* * *

"The most gorgeous view?" Ketkoni said, grinning. She turned around, toward where a group of other Wardens stood, talking. "Hey, Dwinna!"

The other dwarf looked up, her bangs falling across her face. "Yeah?"

Ketkoni turned back to Kit. "There it is," she said.

Kit rolled their eyes. "I meant a _place._ "

"Why didn't you say so?" Ketkoni said. Behind her, Dwinna had left the other Wardens and came over to stand next to Ketkoni.

"Why did you call me?" Dwinna said, glancing between Ketkoni and Kit.

"Shh," Ketkoni said, "I'm describing my favourite place."

"Are you," Kit said, arms crossed. 

"Not with that attitude." Ketkoni's face was expressionless, but from Dwinna's amused expression, Kit was pretty sure Ketkoni was joking.

"Dwinna, what's the prettiest place _you've_  ever―"

"The forest," Ketkoni said. "Especially when it's super thick and blocks out the sky."

"Really?" Dwinna said, giving her a surprised look.

"Yeah?" Ketkoni raised an eyebrow. "Why, what about you?"

"Uh." Dwinna bit her lip. "I was going to say... the sky. Like when we first came out the tunnels onto the surface."

"Aww, that's adorable," Ketkoni said, wrapping one arm around Dwinna, who smiled. "Even if it was all dark and grey that day, and it rained and we were soaking wet for hours," she added, grinning.

Dwinna rolled her eyes. "Yes, but it was our _first day on the surface."_

"Did you never go on the surface before that?" Kit asked.

"Nope," Ketkoni said. "Only ones who go up there are merchants."

"Weird," Kit said. 

* * *

"My favourite place?" Quentin said. He leaned on his staff, watching as Sigrun and Nathaniel sparred in the courtyard outside the keep. "I don't know... do I have to pick only one?"

"That's kind of the point," Kit said, biting back a smirk.

"Well... probably here, I guess. That's where my friends are."

"Holy shit that was cheesy," Kit said, then clapped a hand to her mouth. "Sorry! I mean―"

Quentin laughed. "It's ok."

"Actually, I kind of meant your favourite _looking_ place, though," Kit said. "Like, the prettiest?"

" _Oh,_ ok." Quentin made a humming sound. "Orzammar was pretty cool, the things they carve out of the stone down there are amazing. Or maybe Redcliffe castle, when the lake's calm and looks like a mirror. Or that one clearing in the Brecilian forest where the trees hang down like they're bowing―"

"Not the forest again," Kit groaned.

"What? What's wrong with the forest?" Quentin said.

They shook their head. "Nevermind. Were you actually going to pick one of those as your _absolute_ favourite?"

Quentin gave them a sheepish look. "Well."

"That's a no, then," Kit said. 

* * *

"What's the most beautiful place you've ever seen?" Kit asked Fox as they paused their patrol to sit in the long grass on the edge of Amaranthine city. "Like, a city, or something."

Fox stretched out his arms behind him. "That's a pretty random question."

Kit shrugged. "Well?"

"I don't know, I don't really pay attention to how _beautiful_ stuff is."

"Your boyfriend is _Zevran_ ," Kit said, eyebrows raised, "I call bullshit."

Fox laughed. "You got me. Zevran's the most _beautiful_  guy I know." He stared up at the sky, eyes unfocused. "Places, though... I guess I just wouldn't put much stock in how good they look. I mean, who pays for a city to look good? You've seen Orlais, all that fancy shit passed around the noble houses, while the slums are full of the garbage they don't want to see."

"I... I guess, yeah."

"Show me a _whole city_ that looks like the streets just off the centre square in Orlais, and I'll be impressed. Hell, even a city that looks like the main streets _here_ would be a miracle," he said, waving behind him at Amaranthine's large stone walls. "I just... can't feel good about how something looks when I know that elves, even humans just around the corner are walking in their own shit. You know?"

Kit bit their lip, glanced down. "Yeah." 

* * *

"The prettiest place?" Talia repeated, winding a strand of red hair around her finger. "Like, a corner of the city? Or larger, like a city itself?"

Kit shrugged. "Whatever."

Talia kicked her legs out over the battlements, staring down at the people walking about the streets of Amaranthine. "Is the Waking Sea specific enough for you?"

"The sea," Kit said, tipping their head to one side. They turned to look behind them, but the water wasn't visible from behind the city walls. "Why?"

"It's pretty," Talia said, smiling. "Okay, okay," she added, as Kit gave her an expectant look, "I can do better than that. It _is_ pretty though. Calming, when the water's still, or as still as it gets; when there's not much wind, the water swishes back and forth," she made a sweeping motion with her hand, "like spreading butter. And when the surf picks up, it's soft and frothy, like Nana's cream pies. But it really looks gorgeous when there's a storm, and the rain's coming down hard enough to soak through your clothes in seconds."

"What's pretty about _rain?"_ Kit demanded. "The clouds make everything dark, and it gets into your clothes and makes the ground slippery."

"Well, if you live in the forest, I suppose," Talia conceded. "But I was lucky; I lived in a castle. When a storm came, we just ran up to our rooms, and watched from the thin slits in the stone walls, where we were warm and dry. We used to watch the lightning make veins in the clouds, with cracks of thunder like the sky was breaking. If it was really windy, the water would crash up over the cliffs, and when I was really little, I used to worry that the sea would overflow and flood the entire village. It was very exciting for a little girl," she said with a smile.

"I bet," Kit said.

"What about you?" Talia asked.

"Um..." Kit made a huffing sound. "Don't laugh, but... Orlais."

Talia frowned. "Why would I laugh? People say Orlais is _beautiful,_ you're lucky to have seen it."

"I dunno, everyone has these _deep_ reasons for these places they think are pretty, but I just... think it's a really nice city? It has a lot of cool buildings and pretty flowers."

"You don't need a 'deep' reason to think something's pretty," Talia said. She looked down at the street below, then nudged Kit. "See that girl down there? The one with the green dress."

Kit followed Talia's gaze, searching the crowd until she spotted her. "Yeah."

"She's pretty, right?"

"Mm." The girl said something to her friend, then threw her head back and laughed, her long hair falling back from her face. "Very."

Talia looked at her. "Why do you think she's pretty?"

"She _is,"_ Kit said, "like, objectively, she is a total cutie. Also, i can't believe you're making this point with a cute girl."

"I thought it was a good analogy," Talia said. "When did you go to Orlais, anyway?"

"I left my clan for last year to be a Warden," Kit said. "Literally the only time I could have been anywhere but _in the middle of the forest_ , so."

"Had you ever been without your clan before that?" Talia asked.

"No..."

"And you said you didn't have a good reason," Talia said, punching her gently on the shoulder. "That's a good reason."

"I... guess," Kit said. She watched as the girl stopped in front of a pottery merchant's stall, and began to talk to the man behind the stall.

"Want to go talk to her?" Talia said, following her gaze with a grin. 

Kit pushed herself away from the rampart's edge. "Yes."


End file.
